Escape!
by Kairikiani
Summary: While staying at Alhafra, Sheba is kidnapped and the group is held prisoner. The adepts must outwit their captor, rescue Sheba, and escape from the town in three days' time, before Faran comes to pay the ransom and take Sheba away forever!
1. Kidnapped!

Author's Note: This is something I wrote a few years ago, edited slightly to decrease awkward wording, references to my other stories, and Ivan's emo-ishness (I realize emo-ishness isn't a word, but it was the only way I could turn emo into a noun.). It was supposed to be one of many short stories centered around various pairings, but after writing this I realized that finishing the entire story would take waaay too long. But I went through all of the trouble to write this story, so figure I might as try to well post it.

If I get any reviews, I'll post the rest of the chapters up. On another note, I did my research, but I could not find the Mayor of Alhafra's name anywhere, so I made it up. If you don't remember, he's the fat guy who insulted you after you let "his" ship get away.

Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun. If I ever get into animation, though, I am definitely going to try to make it a TV show. And then I will own it.

* * *

The gang had been sailing east for three days since their visit to Tolbi. Kraden had convinced the adepts that they were in dangerous need of supplies, specifically elixirs, the best of which could be found at Alhafra. Felix had convinced Kraden to stay on the ship while the rest of the group searched Alhafra's markets. Kraden agreed, and at the moment the adepts were meandering around the market place.

"Ah, Felix!" a young Alhafran guard shouted, running clumsily towards them at full speed. The eight teens turned around, and Felix cocked an eyebrow. The apprentice slid to a stop in front of the cluster and put his hands on his knees, shoulders heaving. "Thank…goodness…I…found…you… The mayor has heard of your arrival, and wishes to see you."

Sheba put her hands on her hips. "I thought that he never wanted to see us again."

"Ah, yes. His graciousness has decided to forgive you for the…incident with the ship," he breathed.

The four newest members of the group looked at Felix. _What incident? _Their eyes asked. He mouthed '_Tell you later.' _Felix sighed. "Well, I guess we can't refuse his_…graciousness_," he conceded. The guard beamed, and led the group to Mayor Ravil Livar's castle.

Fifteen minutes later, the eight adepts stood uncomfortably before the rotund leader. Ravil was disgustingly obese; his throne had had to be specially tailored to fit his immense girth. The amount of food he ate in one meal could feed a large family for a day. Felix wondered how many of Ravil's subjects starved so that he could gorge his stomach.

"Ah, Felix, the brave warrior. What brings you and your friends to my fine town?" Ravil drawled.

"Well, we were hoping--"

"Do me a favor, my lad," Ravil interrupted, "and remind me of your allies' names. They've escaped me."

Felix patiently exhaled. He went down the line, pointing to each adept. "Isaac, Mia, Jenna, Garet, Ivan, Piers, and Sheba."

"Sheba…" Ravil furrowed his brow. "I've heard that name before…"

"I'm Faran's daughter," Sheba answered bluntly.

The mayor's eyes widened with recognition. "The Child of the Gods…" he whispered. "Rumor has it that Faran has offered a very handsome reward for her safe return." His eyes glinted with greed. He looked up at Felix. "I take it that you are heading to Lalivero in order to trade her for the gold?" he questioned.

Sheba stepped menacingly towards the mayor. "EXCUSE ME? I'm an essential part of their group, not some bag of goods!" she cried, bristling with sparks. Felix put a hand on her shoulder in order to calm her down.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken. Sheba is helping us on our quest. She's not going to return to Lalivero just yet. Make no mistake, she misses Faran and her family very much, but if she were to visit them, the emotional ties between them would make it too difficult for her to leave again. You must understand, our task is very important. We must do what is best for everyone," Felix explained diplomatically.

"Perhaps you could be kind enough to send word to him for us. Tell him that Sheba is safe?" Picard inquired.

Ravil sat and contemplated the situation. He spoke very slowly, "Very well. Your choices are your own. In the meantime, please, help yourselves to my castle. I shall send a letter in the morning." Felix's team stood shocked at the mayor's unprecedented generosity.

"Thank you, kind sir," Mia chirped obliviously.

* * *

The guard from earlier led the adepts up the stairs and around several corners. He opened the door to a small antechamber, cozily furnished with velvet and mahogany. In the middle of the room was a large table, presumably for meals. On each side of the room were four doors, each leading to a personal bedroom. While the adepts admired their rooms, he slipped out and left them to their own devices.

As Felix was admiring the carving on the table, Sheba quietly crept up behind him. "Ummm, Felix? About earlier…" she whispered, her eyes averted. She looked oddly shy.

"Listen, Sheba. I'm sorry if I sort of put words in your mouth. I—" Felix stopped as Sheba threw her arms around him, hugging him very tightly.

"Thanks," Sheba whispered quietly.

Felix's cheeks became slightly pink, him being unused to such intimate gestures. After a slight pause, a crooked smile sneaked onto his face. He quickly squeezed her back. "No problem, kiddo."

Across the room Ivan stared at the two embracing and felt his cheeks burning. He quickly turned around and studied the paintings some more.

* * *

As Felix lied in bed, he thought about the mayor's odd behavior. Felix didn't trust Ravil as far as he could throw him. His mind whirled with possible explanations, and, failing to come up with anything remotely likely, it succumbed to sleep.

* * *

Sheba was curled up in bed when she heard a sound. She sleepily opened up one of her eyes. All of the djinn were asleep. _It was probably nothing. _She closed her eye again.

_There it is again!_ Her eyes shot open. Where was that creaking sound coming from? She rolled over and threw off the covers. A scream caught in her throat.

A dark hand reached out of the darkness and practically forced an odd smelling cloth down her throat. Sheba choked on the smell. _Sleeping gas! _She tried to sit up, but her body wouldn't listen to her. Quickly, Sheba held her breath, but she had already inhaled too much. The dark room around Sheba looked as if it were underwater. The sight made her head hurt horribly. Slowly, Sheba's vision faded, and she let the dull pain wash over her.


	2. Betrayed

Jenna woke up in her large silk bed. She knew that she should be getting up sometime soon, but she rarely had a chance to sleep in anything so comfortable. She let herself lie still with her eyes closed, savoring the soft cloudlike feeling of her giant mattress. After five minutes, her window's curtains shot open. Jenna winced, putting a hand over her eyes. When her eyes got used to the bright sunlight, she looked towards the window. There on the ground under the windows were three djinn. Shine was tangled up in the string that controlled the curtains, while Spark and Cannon were staring expectantly up at their master.

"All right, all right, I'm up," Jenna grumbled. She crawled out of bed, untangled Shine, and slipped out the door. She opened the door to her left, which led to Sheba's room. "Shebaaaa…sleeeepppyyy heaaaaaddddd…." Jenna called, poking her head through the doorway. Jenna had no qualms about waking Sheba up. They had gotten so close over their journeys that they were practically sisters, so Jenna could do this sort of thing. She pounced in and threw off the messy covers, only to find an empty mattress. _Huh. She must already be awake._

"Breakfast!" shouted a voice that sounded suspiciously like Garet's. Jenna, having already woken up, was second at the table. Before them was a mouthwatering feast of pancakes, bacon, muffins, and every other type of breakfast food imaginable. Jenna sat down across from her fellow fire adept, who had already filled up his plate.

"When did this stuff get here?" she asked.

Garet shrugged. "It was already here when I woke up. The maids must have brought it in." The other adepts slowly trickled in and sat down to help themselves.

"Wait, you mean somebody just came into our room, set up the table, brought all this food in, and then left without waking anyone up?" Jenna glanced back at the door. The thought that someone could sneak up on their group like that disturbed her, even if it was just to give them all a free breakfast. "Nobody heard anything?"

"Well, Jenna, we were all very tired from our journey. Perhaps sleeping on real beds for a change helped us to sleep sounder than we normally would," suggested Picard as he spooned syrup onto his plate. For some odd reason the Lemurian preferred all of his condiments on the side.

Meanwhile, Isaac was surreptitiously eyeing the last blueberry muffin. Homemade muffins were a favorite among adepts, for reasons unknown even to the likes of Kraden. An unclaimed blueberry muffin was a rare find indeed. However, after listening to his friends' banter for several minutes and seeing the muffin sit invitingly in the basket, Isaac felt that it was safe to assume that everyone who wanted a muffin had already gotten one. Everyone knew that blueberry muffins were his favorite food, so he figured no one would mind if he took an extra one. Two phantasmic psynergy hands grabbed the muffin at the same time. Isaac looked up to see his challenger.

The two earth adepts stared at each other, but neither made a move to let go. They formed an odd bridge of silence over the table, which quickly damped the conversations on either side. Everyone looked towards the center to see the source of the tension.

Felix glanced at Isaac's plate. "You already have a muffin," he scolded.

"So? Everyone who wanted a muffin has already had one," retorted Isaac.

"A-actually- " stuttered Ivan, whose god-given right to a muffin was currently being violated by Garet's stomach.

"In that case we should save it. We don't know when our next meal will be," reasoned Felix. The two glared at each other and tightened their grip on the confectionary treat, causing the top to bulge.

"It won't make that much of a difference. We don't have to ration everything," said Isaac, mentally tugging the muffin to his side of the table.

"Little steps go a long way. We don't want to run out of rations," answered Felix. The breakfast treat inched over to the other side of the table.

"We can always replenish at the towns. My group never had any problems carrying a half-pack of supplies between villages." The muffin jerked to the right side of the table.

"True, but for a group of eight people you have to do things a little differently," said Felix. Both boys leaned in ever so slightly as the muffin trembled in the middle of the table.

The pastry disappeared as Jenna snatched it from the table. "Isaac! Felix!" she scolded, shaking the battered muffin in her fist. "You two are NOT fighting over a muffin!"

"We weren't fighting, Jenna. We were having a disagreement," muttered Felix. Both earth adepts averted their eyes, looking very much like children who had been caught by their mother scuffling over a toy and were now trying to convince her that they had only been playing.

Jenna knew that the argument hadn't really been about the muffin. Although neither one would admit it, Jenna had a hunch that they both disliked sharing their leadership status. Neither one had been chosen as the definite leader since the two parties joined forces; rather, they had decided to share any leadership responsibilities and submit any major decisions to a group vote. However, Isaac and Felix were natural leaders, which meant that despite their better natures the earth adepts found the thought of following each others' orders very…irksome. As a result, whenever Isaac and Felix disagreed on something they absolutely refused to give in and lose face, even over something as stupid as a muffin. Jenna, being close to both adepts, usually fell into the peacemaking role.

"Besides, I don't think Sheba has had breakfast yet. Which room is she in?" Jenna asked.

"She's not in her bed?" inquired Mia.

Jenna blinked. "No, I thought she was with one of you guys."

Picard set his silverware down, got up from the table and peered into Sheba's room. "Perhaps she went outside for a walk?"

"Without telling one of us?" asked Felix.

A small, insistent knock interrupted the conversation. A guard peeked his head into the room. "Ah, i-it's me, Marcus. From yesterday. I'm sorry to bother you, but Master Ravil wishes to see you in his throne room. Please follow me."

* * *

Felix and company stood before Ravil and his wolfish grin. "Good morning, Felix. Was the breakfast to your satisfaction?" Ravil asked pleasantly.

"Yes, thank you," answered Felix

"Really, because I found the bacon to be a tad salty. It's hard to find good help these days. But I did like the muffins, they had a nice tart flavor to them..." Felix wondered if Ravil had really ordered the group down here just to get their opinion of the cuisine. "Anyway," Ravil continued, "I thought that you would like to know that I've sent the letter to Faran, and that the Child of the Gods shall-"

Jenna interrupted, "Oh! Ravil, do you know where Sheba is? We can't seem to find her. I mean I'm sure it's nothing serious; she probably just got lost exploring. But if you could help us search for her, we'd really appreciate it."

"That won't be necessary. The Child of the Gods is safe and sound in one of my private rooms. I'm afraid that she had an accident last night, but not to worry, it was nothing serious."

"An accident? What ki—" Jenna started.

Felix interrupted his sister. Uncharacteristic worry flashed across his face. "Serious or not, please lead us to her. Mia, Picard, get your staffs ready."

"No, no, no," Ravil refused, putting up his hands and shaking his head. "It's best if she rests here for a few days. My servants shall care for her."

"But we can heal her instantaneously if you would just-" Picard began.

"I said no," Ravil stated coldly. "The Child of the Gods is under my care now. She shall rest here, and in three days Faran shall come to take her home."

"Faran!?"

"Why'd you tell him?"

"Is it that bad?"

Suddenly the room went quiet, as everyone became aware of the solemn glare that Felix was giving Ravil. Its intensity demanded attention. Eyes boring into the mayor, Felix quietly asked, "Ravil, exactly what was the cause of this 'accident'?"

Ravil returned Felix's stare with one that was equally cold and accusing. "Felix, I do not appreciate what you're implying. I assure you, I have done nothing wrong. I am simply doing what is best," Ravil explained quietly, as if to a small child. Realization slowly dawned on the group. Not one of them could find a word of reply.

Ravil sighed, then grinned condescendingly at the adepts. "You see, I have given serious consideration to the situation, and despite your opinion, I have decided that it is best if the Child of the Gods returns to Lalivero. As you said yourself, Felix," Ravil smirked, "we must do what is best for everyone."

"This isn't what he meant! This isn't good for anyone!" Jenna cried.

"Ah, but it is. Don't you see? Your friend gets to return to her safe home, where she belongs. You get relieved of guard duty. Faran gets his precious daughter, at a slightly higher price, and I…well, I get my deserving reward." The adepts opened their mouths to protest, but were cut off by a slicing motion of the mayor's hand. He smiled, preparing to deliver the final knife in the wound. He added, "Not to worry, while she is here, my son shall…keep her company. It would be quite _convenient_ if the Child of the Gods found her suitor while she was here. Faran himself would relish his fortune if his heir were to be found among the royal family that saved her."

"Y-You'll never get away with this! Someone will stop you!" Garet cried.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. But that someone certainly won't be you, because as of now, you are all under house arrest on charges of kidnapping," Ravil stated calmly. On his cue, soldiers began to pour out of the doors and surrounded the adepts. Ravil continued, "To prevent any…disturbances, you shall all be held on parole by my guards. That is, of course, until Faran and his fleet arrive with the reward. After the transaction has taken place, you all may leave, but in the meantime, enjoy your stay." Ravil smiled as his guards dragged each adept back to their rooms, waving all the while.

* * *

Author's note: All right, I'm sorry this took so long to update. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I'll explain the 'kidnapping' charges in my next chapter, which I will try to update sooner.

I also have a proposal. This story was originally made to be part of a huge saga of short stories cataloguing the adventures of the Golden Sun group. Thus, you're kind of seeing the characters after their internal motivations and relationships have been analyzed. That really bugs me, because I have to keep reminding myself that you don't know my version of Ivan or my version of Felix. I'm not sure if this will be a problem, but if a character ever acts in a way that doesn't seem like him or her, it's probably because I analyzed that side of the character in one of my other stories. Please tell me if that happens, so that I can either explain the anomaly or fix it. Also, although it has a plot and such, none of the pairings will be resolved in this story. There will be fluff and hints, but no confessions, because I had planned to put those at the end of the saga.

My question is this: Would you prefer that I continue rewriting this story (meaning that you like adventure and having the spotlight on all eight characters) or that I make a new story that focuses on windshipping (which has the benefit of being freshly written, so the story will be more cohesive, and examining a relationship and characters in detail)? Or would you like me to go back and write short two or three-shots examining deeper levels of everybody's personalities (like why Hamma really refused to let Ivan stay with her in Contigo or how the prim Child of the Gods in Golden Sun I can be the same person as feisty Sheba in Golden Sun II.)? Please let me know, because I can only do one option.


End file.
